Photograph
by StarsGoBlu
Summary: Zaya AU Maya knows what it's like to get her heart broken. Almost two years have passed since Cam's suicide, since her best friend confessed he loved her and she went off to Paris for a year to escape reality. Now back in the halls of Degrassi with a new man on her arm she is ready for her best year ever. But what happens when Zig returns-only the boy she knew is long gone.
1. Miss Brightside

_hola fellow zaya-ians. I am new to degrassi fanfiction, so please bear with me. When I was in middle school to high school i was a huge degrassi nerd. I lost touch after graduating and have just recently dedicated myself to binge watching the whole series. Which has brought me to Maya and Zig. Yes there is going to be some Matingsworth in here. Eventual Miles x Tristan_

 _This is Au in a few ways-Maya and Zig have been best friends forever. Instead of a summer in Paris I decided to make it a whole year. Kind of like **Anna and the French Kiss**. In that year, Maya and Zoe went through their whole drama of frenemies and became actual good friends. That year she pretty much lost contact with Zig. I found weird how he changed so much over one summer that I decided to give it a year._

 **Chapter One: Miss Bright Side**

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"Explain to me again why the whole new . . . well, you?" Tristan Milligan asked as he eyed his best friend from head to toe.

Maya Matlin gave him a weak smile from the reflection of the mirror in her room as she toyed with one blond curl. Her lacy camisole blouse was slightly see-through giving a hint of the black lace bra she wore beneath it. the black skinny jeans she chose rose low on her hips. She slipped on the black leather jacket and slipping on the pair of high heeled quarter black boots. This was a total 180 from the sweet and laid back Maya from freshman year.

If Maya were to compile a list of everything that had gone wrong her freshman year, the results would be staggering. From her sister's stint in rehab to her boyfriend committing suicide to her break down in front of the whole school that had lost her her one shot at a prestigious music school. But worse than all that was what happened with Zig. Zigmund Novak had been her best friend since first grade when a fifth grade stole her glasses and Zig had shoved him into the sandbox and retrieved them for her. For the next eight years they were inseparable.

Until the end of freshman year.

"We're juniors-new year, a new start. New me," she said happily. "A year in Paris was exactly what I needed to get over everything that happened in freshman year. After Cam . . . I just want things to go smoothly. I have an amazing boyfriend, my best friend in the whole world," she flashed Tristan a bright smile. "This year. This is gunna be our year, Tris."

Tristan giggled. "Well, Miles Hollingsworth III _is_ the most eligible guy of the whole school-kudos on sweeping him up, Super Star."

Maya just shook her head and turned away from the mirror. "All right, this is as good as it's gunna get."

Tristan rose from his place on her bed, smoothing out his dark dress shirt and dark wash jeans.

"Ready to face the masses, Maya Mat?" Tristan asked, hands on his hips.

Maya grinned as she hooked her arm through his.

"With you? Ehh . . . I think I can manage," she joked.

"Oh, stop," he scoffed at her and proceeded in guiding her from the room.

Maya simply grinned, silently willing for all of her positive thinking to come through for her.

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The closer they came to the school, the more the ball of butterflies turned into a raging hornets nest of anxiety.

"You're doing it again," Tristan commented as he glanced over at Maya in the passenger seat, who was slumped low in her seat.

"I have no idea what you mean," Maya replied wryly.

"Stop worrying, sweet buns," Tristan sighed exasperatedly. "Just focus on the good things in your life-like your rich, super cute bf _Miles_."

Maya grinned. "He is cute, huh? He said he'd meet us on the steps. He's sweet too, since we came back from Paris, he always texts me good morning and good night-"

"All right, _barf_ , stop rubbing it in," Tristan exclaimed dramatically as he pulled in to the parking spot. "Well, this is it! Junior year look out."

Maya laughed as she climbed from the car, combing her fingers through her wavy curls.

As she turned towards the school, the hornets nest became aggravated, swirling up a storm inside of her.

"Yep, watch out," she sighed as she moved forward.

Tristan slung an arm across her shoulders, pulling her close. People glanced her way, Maya blushed, glancing down at the ground.

"Why're people staring at me?" she muttered as she felt her face flush.

"Because you look hot, grasshopper," Miles said as he emerged from the crowd.

Maya grinned, breaking free and throwing her arms around him. Miles chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Ugh, gouge my eyes out please," Tristan said in mock disgust. "You two are too adorable."

Maya laughed as she broke away, tucking herself against Miles' chest. "Well, a new year maybe we can see about finding Tristan his prince charming."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Please. Boys are the last thing I'm worried about this year."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Maya joked, causing Miles to quickly bury his face in her blond locks, hiding his smirk.

"Ha-ha," Tristan droned before lifting his sunglasses from his eyes to his head. "You're, like, so hilarious My-Mat."

Maya giggled slipping from Miles' hold to give Tristan a playful shove.

"You know I love you, honey bunch," Maya teased.

"More than me?" Miles asked with mock seriousness.

"Oh, definitely," Maya confessed as she wound her arm around his waist. "I'm just using you for your body."

Miles laughed shaking his head, holding Maya close.

"Like seriously you two, chill on the PDA," Zoe Rivas said as she came up to stand beside the three-some. "I do not want to barf my soy latte all over my Jimmy Choo's."

"Good morning to you too, Zo," Maya said brightly.

Zoe eyed Maya from head to toe. "I see you're putting that make-over to good use, you're looking good, Matlin."

Maya grinned. "And I swear when I'm a concert cellist I will treat you and Tristan to a five star New York dining experience."

"Been there, done that, but you _can_ promise to be my indentured servant for life," Zoe grinned batting her lashes.

Maya snorted. "Yeah, I'm not that grateful."

Zoe sighed dramatically as she tossed her coffee cup into the waste bin. "It was worth a shot."

Maya shook her head as she tried to force the smile from her face. Zoe had come into their lives during their year in Paris. For a while she had a thing with Miles-causing problems between her and Maya-before their eventual break up. A month later Miles and Maya started dating at their rivalry rekindled. Now thankfully they were friends, which Maya was grateful for.

"So who do you have for home room?" Miles asked his girlfriend.

" I have . . . Kwan." she answered after fishing her schedule from her bag.

"Damn, Armstrong," he sighed. "Well, we still have lunch and history."

Maya laughed as he pressed his lips against her temple.

"Well, I have Armstrong too, so shall we, Hollingsworth?" Zoe asked as she started up the steps.

Miles sighed as he glanced down at Maya, squeezing her hand. "You, me, lunch in the garden?"

"Yes, yes and yes," she said as she rose on the tips of her toes to place a light kiss on his lips.

"Ugh, c'mon Z let's go before I vomit," Tristan said dramatically as he swept the brunet along with him up the steps.

Miles grinned shaking his head as he reluctantly began walking up the steps of the school.

Maya sighed, relaxing once he and the others were out of sight. Her anxiety was on high as she eyed the front doors of the school as students began filing through them.

"Nothing to it but to do it," Maya muttered under her breath as she stepped forward.

Her foot missed a step, and the ground came rushing towards her as she landed hard on her side. Maya released a strangled cry as she rolled onto her back wincing.

"Great way to start the year off, Maya," she groaned.

"Nice landing, Princess."

With three words Maya's heart fell and the hornets nest in her stomach exploded. Above her was Zig Novak a bemused smirk on his lips as he towered over her fallen form.

Her best friend since 1st grade, and the guy who'd confessed he loved her at the end of grade nine.

This year was going to be just great.

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 _And thats it . . .for now. I will update when I can. Hopefully soon. I hope you enjoyed and please review:)_


	2. James Dean

_Quicker update than expected-an uncommon occurrence with me so I cannot promise as fast updates as this one came. Thank you to my two guest reviewers, I do appreciate your encouragement and to Mary-I can try! Matingsworth might not be my otp but they were cute when they were together so I might do a fluffy one shot._

 **Chapter Two: James Dean**

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Maya scrambled to her feet, her face flushing to a rose color as she quickly brushed off the dirt from her pants, her eyes glued to the guy in front of her. Zig looked . . . not like Zig. Gone was the boy with the bowl cut and his indie rocker style who always carried a skate board or a guitar. In his place was a muscular guy who towered over her, wearing a sleeveless shirt and dark wash jeans.

"Zig . . . h-how are you? You look . . . different," she yammered as her tongue tripped over itself.

Zig simply smirked as he handed her her bag. Maya could scarcely believe this was the same boy who had taught her how to punch correctly, the boy who said it'd be a brilliant idea to take her mattress and surface down the stairs. That boy had been kind and free with his smiles, the boy before her looked as though a real smile might crack his face.

"And you look . . . like New York Barbie. Nice bra by the way," he chuckled.

Maya felt her face grow hot as she quickly folded her arms across her chest. Why had she thought this outfit was a good idea again?

"Uh, a girl I met in, um, Paris-Zoë-she and Tristan gave me a make over," she said lamely.

Zig's smirk gave way to a sardonic smile. "Yeah, little miss Hollywood right? From that show?"

"She's really a good person," was Maya's response.

"Sure, sure," Zig said as he continued to peruse her. "So Paris must have been great, huh? See the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, get a nice new rich boyfriend."

"Miles?" Maya squeaked. "Uh, he-I mean, we-"

The bell rang over her fumbling, and Zig was already starting towards the doors.

"See you around, princess," he called over his shoulder.

Maya was left feeling as though she'd been tossed into a hurricane and spat back out as she made her way after him.

She stood by what she had thought before-this year was off to a great start.

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Maya didn't see Tristan and Zoë until second period chem class. Homeroom and first period had been an agonizing hour of questioning her choices, and trying to figure out what exactly had happened to Zig in that one year. Maya rushed towards the pair, tossing her bag onto the desk as she took her seat next to Tristan.

"I ran into Zig this morning," she blurted out, the words flying free before she could even take a breath.

Her exclamation caused Tristan to stop mid-sentence, and turn his body away from Zoe and stare at the little blond in shock.

"Ex- _cuse_ me?" Tristan replied. "Shut the front door! What happened?!"

"Ah, hi," Zoë said, leaning forward to get her two friend's attentions. "For those of us who were not present for the last year-what is a 'Zig'?"

Before Maya could reply, Tristan was launching into his favorite activity-gossiping.

"Zig as in Zigmund Novak, as in Maya's BFF since infancy until freshman year when he confessed he _luuuuvvved_ her."

Maya felt her face burn as Tristan told the abbreviated version of her's and Zig's relationship.

"Whoa, Matlin," Zoë said as she leaned forward, her dark eyes sparkling with interest as she tucked her hand under her chin. "Is he hot? What happened?"

"Nothing! Nothing happened because after he said how he felt for me I went to P.E.I. for the summer with my parents and Katie, and then I took the school abroad trip to Paris," Maya explained hurriedly. "I haven't spoken to him since until this morning, and it was _awful._ "

Tristan chuckled. "Oh, come on, it can't have been that bad."

"I fell on my face, and he called me a Barbie and a princess," Maya retorted rolling her eyes. "It _was_ that bad. I could barely form a full sentence around him."

Tristan winced at Maya's description of their encounter. "Ooh, yeah, that _is_ bad."

"You still haven't answered my question about his looks, Matlin,"Zoë pipped up.

"He's . . . the Zig I saw today was nothing like the boy I grew up with. He was a stranger, and that made me sad more than anything," Maya confessed. "It was so weird."

"Again, avoiding the question," Zoë said as the teacher called the class to quiet down.

Maya sighed as she turned her attention to the front. She was a woman who looked to be in her late thirties, her black hair twisted into a bun at the back of her head, a pair cat eye glasses perched on her nose.

"I'm Miss Klaine, and this is-"

"Sorry, I'm late," a voice interrupted as the door swung open, grabbing the entire class's attention.

Maya felt her heart do a somersault as Zig made his way towards Miss Klaine.

"Ah, Mr. Novak, thank you for gracing us with the pleasure of your company. May I continue?" she asked with pointed politeness.

He flashed a disarming smile as he started walking backwards towards the back of the class. "Please, don't let me stop you."

Maya attempted to will herself to be invisible as he passed by her desk. Sadly she failed because Zig made a point of pausing by where she and her friends were sitting to lean across both Tristan and Zoë, his dark eyes boring into hers'.

"You dropped this, princess," he whispered as he slid her phone to her.

Maya quickly grabbed it, stuffing it into her bag stuttering a thank you. Zig's smirk didn't leave his face as he continued on his way to grab a seat at the back of the class room.

"Holy Jimmy Choo," Tristan whispered as he watched Zig take his seat. "That . . . is _not_ the same Zig Novak I remember."

"I don't know about the _old_ Zig Novak-but that one is super hot," Zoë declared.

Maya rolled her eyes. Tristan noted the action and quickly inserted himself between them.

"Let's forget about James Dean, okay? I'm actually excited to learn about the periodic table," he interjected.

That, with Miss Klaine's call for attention, ended further talk about Zig for a whole two minutes as their teacher announced she would be assigning lab partners.

"Once I call your name please join your partner at the station I indicate, understand? For station one we have Mona Arden will be with Logan Turner."

And so it went. Maya watched as Tristan was placed with Ivy and Zoe with Ethan. Maya sat alone, silently praying that Miss Klaine would call out any name but Zig's.

"Maya Matlin and Zig Novak to station six."

God was obviously ignoring all calls from her at the moment though.

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 _mmm Zig and Maya are lab partners. My oh my how will that go? And next chapter-flash backs and we see Miles and Zig meet for the first time. What is poor ol' Maya to do?_

 _please review and thank you for reading :)_


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